Tuesday, January 19, 2016

If you walk along Fraser Highway in Downtown Langley, you will notice a large parking lot across from 207th Street. This was a former municipal parking lot that was underutilized. At one point, there was a development proposal which included ground-level retail. The market conditions weren’t right, and this development proposal didn’t move forward.

In the Downtown Langley Plan, this area is known as the “East Gateway.” The area is suppose to transition gracefully from the more retail-focused Downtown Core, to the residential-only areas surrounding the core. In reality, it is more of an “anything goes” area.

Downtown Langley Urban Design Concept. Select image to enlarge.

The Downtown Langley Plan does state that these transition areas should be designed to “encourage home businesses.” The developer of the townhouse complex is proposing to have “the end units on the two buildings abutting Fraser Highway… to have private entries and decks with direct access off Fraser Highway to create additional pedestrian-friendly street appeal.”

Residential-only buildings don’t activate the street and create the same appealing environment as street-front restaurants, cafes, and shops. Over the last decade, the residential-only Paddington Station in the West Gateway and Serenade in the Park Avenue area of Downtown Langley have been built. While high-quality projects, they do create activity dead-zones.

Residential-only projects are being built in Downtown Langley because of the current soft demand for retail space. If too many residential-only projects are built in Downtown Langley, the ability to maintain an appealing, walkable Downtown may be compromised.

2 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Some sort of retail, at least along Fraser Highway would be ideal for this development. I also worry about creating a small dead zone. At least a couple storefronts at the end of the buildings would go a long ways. Will you be bringing this information up at the public hearing?

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About Me

I am a Langley City Councillor, and advocate for creating sustainable and accessible communities.
Sustainability to me means building a community that will meet the needs of all who choose to live, work, or establish a business in their community today and into the future. It means building a community where small businesses can succeed, which provides services for all members of the community, and that protects the environment. It also means working hard to ensure that the services which a city provides remain affordable.